# France

Source 华盛顿邮报

Listening

Why are the ‘yellow vests’ still protesting in France? His name is Macron

Reading

Act Four in the weekly “yellow vest” protests unfolded Saturday in Paris amid a now-familiar backdrop of tear gas and chants, but also brought further clarity on where the rage is headed: directly at President Emmanuel Macron.

What began as opposition against a carbon tax designed to curb climate change has morphed into a working-class revolt against Macron, who now faces the first major test of his presidency and whose approval ratings have plummeted to personal all-time lows.

Chants of “Macron resign!” echoed along the grand Champs Élysées on Saturday as protesters decried him as the “president of the rich” who has ignored struggling regions around the country.

Remarkably, some of those in the crowd had backed Macron’s improbable campaign in 2017. But they now say they feel betrayed by an agenda they see as merely concerned with protecting the economic interests of the elite.

The movement—whose name is taken from the trademark high-visibility yellow vests—has since come to represent a deeply rooted social anger that has more to do with the personality of Macron than it does with any particular policy.

Most protesters tend to be white and many from the provinces — sharing anxiety over dwindling purchasing power and what they see as Macron’s aloof style.

Catherine Van Mikel, 66, a retired clerk at the Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris, noted that she had proudly voted for Macron in 2017. “I feel genuinely deceived, “ she said, standing toward the back, far from the jeering crowds.

“There’s a real arrogance to him, “ she said of Macron. “I have never seen a president like that.”

Summary

Why are the ‘yellow vests’ still protesting in France? His name is Macron （= the answer is Macron） 法国“黄马甲”为何仍在抗议？答案直指总统马克龙

• protest v.抗议

Act Four in the weekly “yellow vest” protests unfolded Saturday in Paris amid a now-familiar backdrop of tear gas and chants, but also brought further clarity on where the rage is headed: directly at President Emmanuel Macron. 周六，在一片熟悉的催泪瓦斯和呼喊声的背景下，第四波“黄马甲”抗议活动在巴黎拉开序幕（这一示威行动每周举行），但也让这些民愤的指向更为清晰了——怒火直指总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙。

• Act n. 银幕，

  Act Four 第四幕

• amid adv. 在…之中

• backdrop n.背景

• now-familiar

• tear gas 催泪瓦斯

• chants n. 呼喊声

• weekly adv.每周地

• bring clarity on …变得清晰

What began as opposition against a carbon tax designed to curb climate change has morphed into a working-class revolt against Macron, who now faces the first major test of his presidency and whose approval ratings have plummeted to personal all-time lows. 这场抗议本来是因为反对碳税而开始的，而收取碳税是为了控制气候变化；后来抗议转变为一场工人阶级针对马克龙的起义。马克龙现在面临着他总统任期内第一个重大考验，他的支持率也跌到个人历史新低。

• curb v.控制 control or limit sth

• morph v.变化（缓慢变化）

  morph into

• revolt n.起义

• plummet v.暴跌

• all-time 有史以来的，空前的

• lows n.低谷

  highs and lows 生活的起起落落

  The highs and lows of my life.

Chants of “Macron resign!” echoed along the grand Champs Élysées on Saturday as protesters decried him as the “president of the rich” who has ignored struggling regions around the country. 周六，“马克龙辞职！”这一口号回荡在壮丽的香榭丽舍大街上。抗议者谴责马克龙是“有钱人的总统”，指责他忽视了这个国家还在挣扎谋生的那些地区。

• echo v. 回荡 n.回音，共鸣
• decry v.谴责
• grand adj. 壮丽的

Remarkably, some of those in the crowd had backed Macron’s improbable campaign in 2017. But they now say they feel betrayed by an agenda they see as merely concerned with protecting the economic interests of the elite. 值得注意的一点是，部分抗议者在 2017 年那场出乎预料的选举中曾支持过马克龙。但现在，他们认为自己被他的政治议程所背叛。在他们看来，这个议程旨在保护上层阶级的经济利益。

• improbable = unexpected adj. 出乎意料的
• elite n.精英
• see = think

The movement—whose name is taken from the trademark high-visibility yellow vests—has since come to represent a deeply rooted social anger that has more to do with the personality of Macron than it does with any particular policy. 这场运动的名字来自于黄色马甲这个标志性的显眼形象。事件发生后，它开始代表一种根深蒂固的社会层面的愤怒，而这种愤怒更多是关于马克龙的人格而不是其他任何具体的政策。

• hava come to do sth. 终于到了某事发生所需的状态

• deeply rooted 根深蒂固的

• trademark n.商标、牌号；特征标记 adj.标志性的

• high-visibility adj. 高可见度的；被广泛关注的

Most protesters tend to be white and many from the provinces—sharing anxiety over dwindling purchasing power and what they see as Macron’s aloof style. 大多数抗议者是白人，且很多人来自外省。他们共同的焦虑在于下降的购买力，和他们眼中马克龙冷漠的作风。

• the provinces 外省（首都外的省份，带有歧视贬义）

• sharing anxiety 共同的焦虑

• purchasing power 购买力

• aloof adj.冷漠的，冷淡的

• dwindle v. 逐渐减少

Catherine Van Mikel, 66, a retired clerk at the Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris, noted that she had proudly voted for Macron in 2017. “I feel genuinely deceived,” she said, standing toward the back, far from the jeering crowds. 66 岁的凯瑟琳·凡·米克尔是巴黎老佛爷百货公司的退休柜员，她表示自己曾在 2017 年骄傲地给马克龙投过票。她远远站在起哄的人群后面，说道：“我真的感觉被骗了。”

• genuinely adv. 真实地，真心地

• deceive v.欺骗

• jeer v.嘲笑

“There’s a real arrogance to him,” she said of Macron. “I have never seen a president like that.” 她评价马克龙说：“他真的很傲慢，我从没见过这样的总统。”

• arrogance n. 傲慢

protest / opposition / revolt / decry